Mumbai: New funnel zone policy brings both hope, despair

The recently introduced funnel zone redevelopment policy has sparked mixed feelings among residents of crumbling buildings that fall under Mumbai airportrsquos funnel zonemdashthe airspace around runways where the height of structures is restricted Many such residents especially senior citizens are confined to their homes unable to even step out for essentialsHowever despite their desire for safer living conditions they are unwilling to leave the only community they have ever known While many welcome the longoverdue funnel zone redevelopment policy several loopholesmdashparticularly around the Transfer of Development Rights TDRmdashand limited incentives have left them disillusionedLocalsrsquo woesldquoI have been a resident of this society for the past 30 years The building is over 65 years old We have been facing many difficulties for several years Most of these households have senior members Since we lack a lift going down to buy groceries has become quite difficult Many of us are confined to our homes and are dependent on neighbours or their help to buy essentials Also we face heavy leakage problems during the monsoon seasonrdquo said Sharada Limaye 75 a retired school principal residing in Om Mahant Society Vile ParleSharada Limaye resident of Om Mahant Society at Navpada Vile Parle EastThe residents also have to deal with flooding during the monsoon ldquoOur buildings were constructed several years ago Back then the level of roads was quite low Today after massive road construction and concreting the surface of the road has risen leading to waterlogging every monsoon At least once a year water enters houses on the ground floorrdquo said LimayeThe sound of aeroplanes frequently taking off and landing has also led to severe hearing loss for these residents ldquoThe government has capped the noise levels at 65 dB for political meets and programmes that happen at Shivaji Park However the noise levels reach as high as 120 dB when each aircraft flies by If you stand with a noise measuring app opened on your phone and check what the range is it is never below 100 dBrdquo said Madhukar Yashwant Apte 85 residing in New Pooja CoOperative Housing Society Vile Parle When residents from Town Planning Scheme 6 in Santacruz approached private developers they were faced with disappointmentResidents of Town Planning Scheme 6 in Santacruz who approached private developers a decade ago PicSatej ShindeldquoWhen we approached a developer some eight to 10 years ago the offer they made was 3035 per cent more space than the existing carpet area a R5000 per sq ft corpus fund and rent amounting to Rs 125 to Rs 300 per sq ft However unfortunately as selfredevelopment wasnrsquot a known term back then the society members couldnrsquot come to an agreement Today after realising their problems are neverending society members are on the same page but the developers have made unrealistic offers Two months ago we got a proposal where a developer offered 2228 per cent extra space a corpus fund of R500700 per sq ft and rent of Rs 110125 per sq ft The developersrsquo mindsets have changed They look at bigger profits today making selfredevelopment nonviablerdquo explained Sanjay Patkar 65 residing in Bhagyashree Society SantacruzDGCA crackdownWhile the government is lifting height restrictions societies are facing notices from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA demanding the demolition of certain parts of buildings and the axing of trees ldquoI am supposed to attend a hearing on April 15 at the DGCA head office at Delhi They have issued a notice to my building stating that itrsquos creating hurdles and should be demolished from the top The building is 55 years old Was the DGCA sleeping all these years We are retirees We have to pay out of our pockets to attend these hearingsrdquo said Shekhar Nair 67 a resident of NeetGeet Society SantacruzWadia EstateDuring Partition 30 colonies were established in Maharashtra for refugees who migrated from Pakistan Wadia Estate colony in Bail Bazaar Kurla West is one such colony It comprises 19 buildings each with a ground floor and two upper storeys The surrounding area includes chawls and slums There are also old encroachments in the open spaces within the colonyRestrictions on the height of the buildings due to the colonyrsquos proximity to the airport have discouraged developers from taking interest in redevelopment ldquoThe buildings are more than 65 years old and have deteriorated significantly Some have undergone minor repairs but many are in a dangerous condition There have been several instances of slab collapses It is difficult for senior citizens and ailing residents to climb the two floors During the monsoon the terraces leak heavilyrdquo said Mohan Ambekar a resident of Wadia Estate KurlaLocalsrsquo demandsResidents are not interested in having huge towers But they must compromise as the developers donrsquot show interest unless they can earn profits Limaye said ldquoThe problems of slum dwellers end when they are given homes for free Some buildings here have been constructed even before the airport was established And some were constructed simultaneously Why did the government not think about the space required for the runway back then We are just saying that give us TDR or help us reconstruct our buildings Just because we do not live in slums or huts does not mean that we can afford to reconstruct our houses The government should understand our problems and help us out We are taxpayers We understand the necessity of the airport But we also have the right to peaceful life which the government is bound to providerdquoConsidering that they cannot leave the vicinity at their age residents are unwilling to relocate to faroff places ldquoThe government can take away our land We only demand that we be relocated in the same area or 2 to 3 km away Give us 40 per cent more space than our existing carpet area along with a marketrate corpus fund At this age no one wants a life where they are stuck in court casesrdquo said Ajit Ajgaonkar 74 residing in Aaradhana Society SantacruzSpecial concession schemeMeanwhile residents of Wadia Estate said that the government should not limit redevelopment incentive schemes only to areas strictly within the funnel zone but should also extend benefits to buildings and settlements in adjacent areas This would help make redevelopment economically viable ldquoBuildings or settlements that face significant redevelopment hurdles due to height restrictions imposed by the airport funnel zonemdashwhere full utilisation of FSI Floor Space Index is not possible and additional FSI cannot be usedmdashshould be covered under a special concession scheme This would ensure that redevelopment becomes viable and attractive to developers There should be a special concession policy from the government specifically for refugee colonies The scheme should be designed by considering dilapidated buildings old encroachments on open lands and height restrictions Wadia Estate is one such settlement facing numerous issues like proximity to the airport the Mithi River encroachments dilapidated buildings and a population comprising mostly economically weaker residents Immediate redevelopment is the need of the hourrdquo Ambekar saidOfficial SpeakldquoThe revised funnel zone policy will pave the way for redevelopment of buildings in Ghatkopar Santacruz Vile Parle and Kurla where projects were held up due to earlier restrictions With this change proposals that were on hold can now move forward ensuring timely approvals and providing muchneeded relief to residents living in structurally weak buildings The need for quick action is well understood Many buildings in these areas are in unsafe condition and require urgent redevelopment Once the policy is in place the focus must be on fasttracking implementation Residents have waited long enough and their safety cannot be delayed due to procedural reasons Wherever MHADA is the executing authority rehabilitation of eligible residents will be carried out in line with the guidelines We remain fully committed to protecting the interests of tenants and ensuring that they are accommodated appropriately as redevelopment moves ahead The key issue is project viability in zones impacted by aviation height restrictions However as per DCPR 2034 clause 337 we are allowed to club schemes and use FSI across projects within a 10kilometre range This provision gives us the flexibility to make projects feasible We will continue to use such policy tools to address challenges and proceed with redevelopment in a structured and lawful mannerrdquo said Sanjeev Jaiswal vicepresident and CEO MHADADevelopers not motivatedThough developers are keen to take on more work they arenrsquot willing to jump in yet as there are several hurdles the viability of the project being the main one ldquoAreas in funnel zones are all prime locations Any developer would be happy to take up the work However the government and DGCA arenrsquot on the same page Moreover redevelopment projects are not very viable Additionally TDR has been denied in these cases There is no scope for a developer to earn profit and no developers are in a position that they can spend from their pockets considering rising construction costsrdquo said a spokesperson from NAREDCOWhat funnel zone residents wantgtgt Available land official homes and encroachments that are protected under government resolutions should be properly accounted forgtgt Homes with a minimum carpet area of 500 sq ft should be provided to official homeownersgtgt Encroached homes should receive homesshops as per government schemes The associated costs should be managedgtgt Any remaining FSI should be prioritised for TDR generationatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params